First-year Charlotte Hornets coach Charles Lee has demonstrated his willingness to make bold decisions with player combinations late in games, even if it causes a stir.
Earlier this week, guard LaMelo Ball was notably absent from the court during the closing moments of a game.
The Hornets are set to face the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night in a rematch of Charlotte’s narrow one-point victory earlier this month.
Charlotte has lost four of its last five games, including a 116-115 defeat to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. Ball did not play in the final stretch, finishing with season lows in both points (12) and minutes (24).
The Hornets have, however, won their last three home games, including two by just one point. Their home streak began with a 108-107 victory over Detroit on November 6, where Miles Bridges led the team with 27 points. Until Tuesday, Ball was the leading scorer for Charlotte in all but one of the last nine games.
Amid the focus on Tuesday’s fourth quarter, it was overlooked that Charlotte scored a season-high in the first quarter, leading 37-23. The Hornets made 13 of their 19 shots from the field in that 12-minute span.
Since their loss in Charlotte, the Pistons have a 4-3 record. They faced the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, falling 122-112 at home.
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff credited the Bulls’ shooting, as they connected on 23 three-pointers, making 50 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc. This is certainly a defensive area the Pistons need to address.
Cade Cunningham has led Detroit in scoring in five of the last seven games, including a 26-point performance against the Bulls. He averages a team-high 23.2 points per game.
Tim Hardaway Jr. returned for the Pistons on Monday after missing three games with a head injury. Malik Beasley filled in well during Hardaway’s absence but returned to a bench role. Hardaway struggled, going 1-for-10 from the field and missing all eight three-point attempts in 30 minutes, while Beasley scored 21 points off the bench.
Detroit’s Jalen Duren pulled down 22 rebounds on Monday, with 12 offensive rebounds being the most by a Piston since March 2015.
The status of Charlotte reserve guard Tre Mann, who averages 14.8 points per game, is still uncertain due to a sore back that has kept him out of recent games.
